The Plastic Dinner Party

Last week DR and I were surprised by some visitors from southern Indiana. Mike and Connie were DR's neighbors when he was growing up and he was in school with their kids. I'd say Mike and Connie were like a second set of parents to DR. We lived fairly close to Mike and Connie for about a year, back when the boys were about two years old. They are a great couple and I've always loved spending time with them.

Mike and Connie had been in Texas visiting family and they decided to swing through Kansas to see us. DR called on Tuesday to let me know they'd be at our house just in time for dinner. Great!! A fabulous excuse to grill up some T-Bone steaks. I had dinner a hummin', the kids were behaving and helping me pick up the house...everything was going great! Until I went to set the table....

Did you know all of my dinnerware is plastic? 

Our plates are plastic McDonald plates DR used when he was a kid. And all our drinking glasses are plastic. I was mortified. It's not often I have dinner guests and I sure didn't want to serve dinner to a couple of adults on Ronald McDonald's face!! But I didn't have much choice, I couldn't stop time for an hour and rush to WalMart (cuz that's the only choice) and buy new glasses and plates. I should have known though, Connie and Mike are such wonderful folks it didn't bother them a bit. They were just happy to see family (well, not exactly family but close enough).

Now I distinctly remember receiving a set of white and blue ceramic dishes and real glass drinking glasses as wedding gifts. How is it that almost eight years later (wow, 8 years!) all of that adult dinnerware has disappeared? I know we lost some of it when we moved (one out of a million times) but what happened to the rest?

Oh yeah!!  *sigh* We had kids! It's a wonder we haven't moved into a plastic house yet!

So when do I get to eat like an adult again on real plates out of glasses that aren't decorated with Santa Claus or have a restaurant's name and cartoon characters emblazoned across it? Is there a magical age where kids don't break dishes anymore or can be trusted to actually, dare I say, be careful with a real glass? Better yet, can't I just cast a spell on dinnerware to become unbreakable?

It isn't like I intended to use plastic plates and cups when I starting having kids. Grandparents gave us some of it (not complaining grandparents, just stating facts), some came as part of goodies from school parties. Aliens drop off plastic silverware in the middle of the night! (There's no other explanation.) Plastic has invaded our home like rabbits. It's everywhere!! 

So, the older I get, I'd like to know which leaves first.....the plastic dishes or the kids?

Crash!!! (the sound Prairie Mother just heard in the background)

*sigh*

Anyone in the market to buy a few kids? They're housebroken....almost.